


An Ace Story: Shorts

by Musicalrain



Series: Ace Story Universe [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Asexuality, F/M, Gen, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny Steve, nerds, part of a series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 09:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5919508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musicalrain/pseuds/Musicalrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of scenes in the Ace Story Universe. Not necessarily in chronological order.</p><p>Steve is a geeky art-shop employee with dreams of making a name for himself in the industry, and Bucky is a dog-walker and veteran suffering from phantom pains and PTSD. They meet at a Wizard World convention and hit it off when they find out they're both ace. This is their story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Due to all the wonderful feedback for my fic, I give you all more in the Ace Story 'verse! :) I'll be putting whatever one-shots and drabbles I come up for this 'verse here. Enjoy all! You're all awesome!

The three of them – Peggy, Sam, and Steve – are sitting crammed together at a small table in the convention center's café while Sam moans long-suffering with his head draped over the back of his chair and his eyes closed tight against the fluorescent lighting.

 

“Remind me never to drink one of those big ass Monsters ever again,” he pleads in a strained voice.

 

“Crashing pretty hard, huh?” Steve comments while taking a small sip of his tea.

 

Peggy rolls her eyes and tsks, “I warned you, sweetheart, but you didn't listen.”

 

“I just wanted to be awake for this thing,” Sam responds with a flail of one arm. “I need more caffeine.”

 

“No you don't,” Peggy comments while halfheartedly picking at a bagel. “Eat. You'll feel better.” Sam only graces her with a moan in response.

 

The roll of Peggy's eyes is fond when she brings up a hand to rub soothingly at Sam's bicep. Sam worked at the VA as a volunteer-turned-employee while simultaneously finishing off law school. He had long days, sometimes longer nights, and though that should've been a hindrance on his social life and his relationship with Peggy, it really wasn't. The man seemed to have it all under control, well, except for today.

 

“Tell me more about this man you met, Steve,” Peggy says while the Batman-clad form of Sam drapes himself over her shoulder. She just moves her hand to rub at his back.

 

“Well, he mentioned he wanted to commission me for something for his sister's birthday. A panel or something.” Steve says while feeling his cheeks pink the slightest bit as the conversation shifts back to the John Constantine cosplayer he ran into earlier. Literally.

 

“Did you give him one of your cards?” She pops a brow in interest.

 

“He already got one from Darcy.”

 

She smiles, “See, the cards were a good idea.” Her smile grows a bit, “You think he'll call you?”

 

“I mean, hopefully,” Steve replies while fiddling nervously with his paper cup. “My tumblr's on there so he just might follow me.”

 

“So long as he keeps in contact, I think it'll be good for you. This is big.” She says it easily, like a statement of fact and not the _huge_ thing it really is for him.

 

He's never met another ace in person before. So, yeah, big stuff. Especially since it hasn't been too long since he's officially 'come out' to, like, everyone he knows. The guy – Bucky – didn't treat it like a big deal, because maybe it wasn't for him, but Steve was having an internal freak-out while trying to talk shop with the guy. All he really knows about Bucky is that he's ace, apparently likes John Constantine, has a little sister named Becca who's turning twenty and is obsessed with Game of Thrones, and that Bucky bought his character-study of Yoda. That wasn't a whole lot to go on, but all the same Steve felt a real connection to the guy. And it just wasn't the ace bit. Bucky spoke kindly and with warmth and passion, and Steve was drawn to his easy-going manner.

 

And he might be crushing. _A little_.

 

“You're blushing, darling,” Peggy says and graces him with a happy, dopey smile. “You really hit it off with this man?”

 

Steve ducks his head shyly. “Yeah.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Steve gets a text from an unknown number a little after a panel he sat in with Jane, because none of their other friends had any interest in Minecraft, that says:

 

_Hey this s Bucky u know the one arm Constantine. u still at ww?_

 

Steve blinks, and attempts to text while not running into anyone – again.

 

 **Steve** : _Just got out of the minecraft panel. What's up?_

 

 **Bucky** : _u goin t teatime with deadpool?_

 

Before he can really think about what's going on – why Bucky's texting him – he gets another,

 

**Bucky _:_** _wanna meet up?_

 

A strangled sound that sounds like it might've been a squeal bubbles out of his throat, and he notices Jane give him a concerned sidelong look while they dodge the crowds on their way back to Odinson's Forge prop stall. He tries to calm down, he really does, but a weird combination of excitement, nerves, and, yeah, fear claws at him. He takes a deep, calming breath when they finally come to the stall and tucks himself away in a corner near a display of swords from Kill Bill. He comes to a decision and hopes he hasn't waited too long to answer when he texts back,

 

 **Steve** : _Sure! Sounds fun!_

 

He's starting to fidget and worry that Bucky changed his mind because he left him hanging for a few minutes, when he finally texts back:

 

 **Bucky** : _:)_

 

An emoticon. He doesn't know what to do with an emoticon. Steve sighs and rubs at his jaw before reaching into his satchel and rummaging around for the con's program. He finds Teatime with Deadpool and sees that he has about an hour until it's scheduled to start. A whole hour to read too much into Bucky's texts and to have a panic induced asthma attack. _Yay_.

 

Peggy comes by and finds him after he's stared at the program blankly for a few long minutes with far too many thoughts swirling about in his head.

 

“You're scaring off the customers. Shouldn't you be dazzling them Mr _Superman_ ,” she teases gently and nudges him in the shoulder. When he only grunts in response, he can see her expression pull into a frown from the corner of his eye. “What's the matter?”

 

He looses a long breath, “Bucky texted me.”

 

He looks up to see her expression light up, but her voice is calm when she asks, “What did he say?”

 

“He wants to go to a panel with me.”

 

“That's wonderful Steve!” She smiles wide and squeezes his shoulder. “When are you meeting him?”

 

“In an hour,” he replies in a quiet monotone, and he can see Peggy's expression smooth out at it.

 

“You don't sound as you should, Steve,” and it's not a question, but it might as well be.

 

“I'm not sure why he wants to meet up,” he admits with a note of self-depreciation in his voice.

 

“Maybe because he genuinely enjoys your company, darling. From what you've said of him, it sounds as though you have a lot in common,” she raises one perfectly arched brow, and he knows what she's getting at.

 

“Yeah, but-” he starts uncertainly, but Peggy cuts him off.

 

“This behavior is uncharacteristic of you. Steve, you're a wonderful person, and you hit it off with him. Shouldn't you be glad that he wants to spend time with you? Possibly get to know you, even?”

 

“Peggy, I'm just not... not sure of _this_. You know how it is for me,” he looks up at her, searching for understanding. This is the one area of his life that he feels out of his depth in. Sure, his career hasn't exactly been going the way he'd hoped after college, but that comes with being in a competitive field as he is. He'll hit it off one day – he _believes_ that like nothing else – but, dating? He's not even sure if that's on the table with Bucky. Maybe the guy is put off by the idea of a male partner, or maybe he isn't looking for something right now, or maybe he doesn't want anything romantic. He could even already have a partner or partners. All of those could be true.

 

“I just don't wanna get my hopes up, you know?” He says after a moment. He knows he's developed a little, very quick, crush on the guy, and he can tell that Peggy is angling for him to pursue something with him, but it could all be for nothing.

 

“And I don't think you should talk yourself out of anything before you've given it a chance,” she counters easily. “Meet him, darling. Who knows, you might be surprised.”

 

He keeps himself busy during the hour by helping tend to passing customers, and before he knows it he's heading up the escalator to the designated conference room. Bucky's there sure enough, shopping bag at his feet and leaning casually against the wall near the doors while he scans the crowd. When he spots Steve – and he knows he stands out a bit as the shortest and blondest Superman in the bunch of people in the hall – that crooked little smile of his curls his lips and he waves. Steve waves back feeling silly, and nervous, and strangely happy when he goes up to him.

 

“Hey, man,” Bucky greets and claps him on the shoulder. “You ever been to one of these things?” When Steve shakes his head, Bucky laughs and the sound is rough, hinting at disuse, but joyful, and it makes Steve smile. “You're in for something good. C'mon.” He picks up his bag and Steve follows him into the room.

 

It's a big room, and it's already pretty much filled with people, so they make their way towards an aisle of chairs a little ways back. Bucky nudges him in front of him, and they take their seats. He's smashed between Bucky and a genderbent Ezio Auditore when a guy in a full Deadpool suit comes running out of one of the side doors. He's obviously the main speaker of the panel, since there's already a Spiderman and a couple X-men seated at the table in the front next to a projector and an empty chair. Deadpool hugs a kid Superman and high-fives people on his way up to the front.

 

Steve doesn't think he's ever laughed so much when the thing takes off. The speakers' commentary is the _best_ , and the little video clips they play only enhance the experience. At one point Deadpool singles out the couple seated in front of Bucky and him – a woman cosplaying Phoenix and the man as Nightcrawler – and starts ribbing the guy on his team in Cyclops gear on how his girl ran off with _Nightcrawler_. Bucky hollers,

 

“At least she picked someone prettier!”

 

Steve almost pisses himself he's laughing so hard.

 

The panel is over far too soon, and then they're gathering up their stuff and heading out of the room.

 

“Jesus,” Steve gasps while he and Bucky step off to the side of the doors and catch their breath. “I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.”

 

Bucky chuckles a little. “Oh, man. These guys are a riot. I've been to two of them. It's better every time.” He grins before pulling his phone out of his pocket and cursing under his breath. “Ah, it's late.” He looks at Steve and puts his phone away. Something passes over his face too quick for Steve to catch before he asks, “Have you eaten anything yet?”

 

Steve blinks before answering slowly, “Um... no.” He doesn't sound as sure as he probably should be over a simple question like that. He's a little thrown by the sudden switch in their conversation, to be honest.

 

But Bucky just tosses his thumb over his shoulder and asks casually, “I saw a pizza place down the street. Wanna catch a bite?”

 

Steve actually forgets that he's in costume until they get to the pizzeria and catches more than a few looks thrown his way. When they take their seats he sees a couple other people in costume enter, and he feels himself relax a little as the attention is drawn away from him. Bucky doesn't quite have the same problem – his cosplay could be mistaken for regular clothes, but he does notice a few people give the empty spot of his left arm and the pinned up jacket sleeve a double-take. The looks Bucky gets don't sit easy with Steve, and he feels defensive on the other man's behalf. Though Bucky doesn't seem to pay anyone any attention other than Steve, and starts digging into his pizza slice with a sigh of contentment.

 

“This is good stuff.” He looks up with his pleasure crinkling the corners of his eyes and gestures towards Steve's untouched slice. “Eat up Stevie, I'm buying.”

 

Steve feels his cheeks warm a little as the nickname registers in his brain, and he tries to hide it behind his pizza slice. Bucky catches his expression and snickers, and all it does is make Steve blush harder.

 

About half-way through his pizza, Steve gets a text from Peggy,

 

 **Peggy** : _Can you stay away from the hotel for a little while? I'll text you when it's fine for you to come back to the room._

 

Steve pulls a face. He knows what Peggy means.

 

 **Steve** : _Sure thing Peggs_

 

 **Peggy** : _Thanks darling ;)_

 

“I shoulda gotten my own room,” Steve grumbles and sets down his pizza.

 

“What's that?” Bucky asks with a curious tilt of his head.

 

“I'm bunking with a couple of friends while we're out here. I'm pretty sure they're christening the hotel right now.”

 

Bucky nearly inhales a bite and has to hurriedly gulp down water in an effort not to choke. “Damn, man. That sucks.” He sets down his slice too, “They put you out?”

 

“Looks that way.”

 

Bucky tries to smother a laugh with his hand. “I dunno what to tell ya. I went up here with a couple friends too, but I was smart enough to get my _own_ room.” He smirks, but his expression clears after a moment. “Hey, and let me know if this is totally weird, it's okay, but you could come over to my room and we can watch TV or something until you think it's safe to go back. I'm assuming they're not gonna be at it all night?” He quirks a brow but his smile is kind and earnest.

 

“Um, that could work,” Steve blurts and sorta wonders if he should've given all that more thought. But then something occurs to him, “Where's your hotel?”

 

“It's the one right across from the center.”

 

Going over to Bucky's room isn't _terrible_. It's awkward at first, and yeah, Steve sorta guessed that it would be after it registered what he had agreed to, but once they came across _Labyrinth_ and started getting into the movie, it wasn't so bad. Bucky had taken off his jacket, and Steve his cape, and with their feet propped up on the coffee table, they were about as comfortable as they could be given the circumstances.

 

All that is almost shattered when Bucky asks casually, with his eyes still trained on the TV, “So, how long have you had your ace ring?”

 

Steve startles a little bit, but he forces himself to sound normal when he replies, “Just a few months. My friend Jane made it for me.”

 

“Hmm,” is all Bucky says, and for a long moment Steve thinks that'll bit it, but then, “I've had mine for about two years.”

 

“That's cool.”

 

“Yeah. Are you on AVEN or Ace-book? I've tried OKCupid, but it was shit.”

 

Steve can't help it, he laughs, and it's a sound born of hysteria, relief, and joy. Bucky turns to look at him, grin firmly in place, and Steve thinks that maybe things will be okay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP David Bowie <3
> 
> Btw - Teatime with Deadpool is awesome, and I highly recommend it if anyone ever has the chance to go.
> 
> This chapter was prompted by fannishliss! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the read!
> 
> If anyone has any more prompts for this 'verse feel free to share! Thanks all! And stay awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

When Wizard World is over, and Steve's back in his tiny Brooklyn studio apartment unpacking, the reality of just how _big_ this past weekend was hits him like a ton of bricks. He got half-a-dozen new clients for commissions right off the bat, he sold about two-thirds of his fanart with Odinson's Forge, passed out more business cards than he could count, networked like he was born for it, and jotted down so many half ideas that he's not even sure what some of the scribbles in his sketchbook are about.

 

And he met one Bucky Barnes.

 

 _That_ is still something that threatens to floor him every time he gives it some thought. Despite all the headway with his art – the validation that art school wasn't just a waste of time and money – he made even more progress on a... personal front. He'd spent more time than ever before with a bunch of his fandom buddies by way of Odinson's Forge and strengthening those friendships that'd previously subsided on online communication, and then he'd met someone he's absolutely _smitten_ with (at least that's what Peggy called it).

 

Steve catches his reflection in his closet mirror when he moves to close it from where he'd stowed the last of his travel gear and feels a pang of self-consciousness creep up his spine. Bucky'd seemed to warm up to him right away, but he didn't know what he _thought_ of him. Did he just see a scrawny guy all sharp elbows and knobbly knees that just so happened to paint something he liked? And, hey, he's ace too, cool huh?

 

Steve was diagnosed at a young age with failure to thrive – he'd grew up struggling to make the milestones, put weight on, maintain that weight, grow – and he has a slew of medical conditions ranging from BPD to Fabry disease to anemia to a heart murmur. As a consequence he always looks slickly, too skinny, too pale. He can't help it but to imagine what Bucky had thought of him. Heck, the first time he'd met Darcy she'd said he looked like death and practically force fed him a burger.

 

Maybe he just hung out with him to be nice?

 

Steve shakes his head at himself and closes his closet before moving to his kitchen. Bucky just spending time with him to be nice doesn't sound quite right. He genuinely seemed to like his art, and he was starting to think Peggy might've been on to something when she said Bucky seemed to enjoy his company. Maybe it didn't matter what he looked like to him? For some reason that's hard for him to wrap his head around, even though he prides himself on never judging a book by its cover. Steve's come to notice a lot of people don't share the sentiment though.

 

But, he muses as he pops open his fridge to make sure nothing spoiled in his absence, Bucky never mentioned anything about how he looked. And, he thinks, they're friends now. When they weren't around each other, they were texting, and he honestly felt comfortable around him. Bucky never indicated that he was judging him, just accepting and taking whatever Steve offered with a warm half-smile and a crinkle at the corners of his eyes.

 

Steve suddenly feels foolish for worrying about something as stupid as appearance, and chides himself at falling into old habits stemming all the way back from his childhood when he used to be teased and picked on for being the smallest one in the class. But he'd also fought those bullies, got his ass handed to him, but _fought_ for himself.

 

Steve has nothing to be ashamed of. He's got a promising new outlook on his career and a social life that's living up to being more _social_ with every new face he meets. It's invigorating, and he won't question the turn fate has worked out for him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something to move us on from the con. I know *sadface* but progress!
> 
> Also, as promised in the comments and whatnot, I've made a tumblr! It's violetmusicalrain and if any of you want to get into contact with me or just flail over Steve and Bucky, feel free to visit and share! :D
> 
> Btw - I have an ace ring now. It's nowhere near as awesome as the one I'd written for Steve, but still! :P


	4. Chapter 4

Steve's heart plummets when he gets the text:

 

**Bucky** : _Hey I'm so sry Steve. Can't make it. Baby sitter sick and can't find anyone to watch Skye_

 

It's a half-hour before Bucky had agreed to meet Steve for coffee and breakfast at a diner of Steve's choosing. They'd been talking every spare minute for a solid week about everything from nonsensical complaints about the weather, their hobbies, and even more serious things like where they see themselves in the future and what they're looking for in a partner, or even a family. Steve learned that before Bucky had come to terms with his sexuality, he'd tried a sexual relationship with a friend, and from that relationship a little baby girl was born. Skye was five and Steve knew that Bucky regretted being away for most of her early life while he was in the army. He's taken more responsibility with her after he was discharged from the VA hospital due to his arm, and Bucky has admitted to Steve that it hurts that he's not the one she calls 'daddy'. So, even though the text is disappointing, Steve knows enough about Bucky's life and how he feels for his little girl that he's reassured that he wouldn't lie to him about something like this.

 

**Steve** : _It's okay. Did you want to reschedule?_

 

It would've been their first official date. They were going to meet up before Steve had to go in to work at Shield Arts and Crafts, but it was Bucky's weekend with Skye and he had arranged for his elderly neighbor to watch her for an hour or two. When Bucky doesn't text back right away, Steve figures he's busy, and makes himself a quick breakfast out of what he has in the fridge.

 

He doesn't start to worry that something's wrong until he's just about to walk into work and Bucky still hasn't texted him back. There's no missed calls either, but before any kind of wild ideas can take root in his mind, Steve assures himself that Bucky's morning was probably just crazy and that he wouldn't keep silent on him on purpose.

 

He ends up spacing out for the majority of the first half of his shift and has to consciously remind himself to pay attention to the customer that comes up to his register. He doesn't even notice that Clint's come in for his shift until the guy's leaning over his counter and flicking him on the nose. “Alright in there Rogers?” He asks with a teasing grin.

 

“Yeah, fine,” Steve sighs and rubs at his stinging nose. When Clint's raised brow clearly indicates he knows he's bullshitting, he adds, “I had a coffee date this morning, but it didn't work out.”

 

“Got stood up, huh? That sucks, man.” He leans back and slides to the register next to him.

 

“I wasn't stood up. Something came up, is all.”

 

The sympathetic look Clint shoots him is not at all reassuring.

 

Steve starts to seriously wonder if he _was_ stood up by the time his shift draws to a close and he still hasn't heard anything from Bucky. He worries that maybe his text didn't go through, but when he re-checks his phone for the umpteenth time, it looks like it has. He's not sure if he should call him either. If that'd look too pushy, or what. He's been out of this dating game for too long, and even back when he didn't have really any game to speak of. He's not sure what to do, but this whole thing doesn't really seem like something Bucky would do. They've been talking, and have even hung out before at the con, so Steve's not really sure what's going on. He hopes he didn't put him off or something, and honestly hopes that something didn't happen with Skye. It makes him a little queasy to think that the little girl Bucky's texted him pictures of with her father's mouse brown hair and what he's been told are her mother's green eyes is hurt or sick.

 

There's just too many questions and worries flitting through Steve's mind and he doesn't know what to do with them all.

 

He's walking towards his building ready to kick off his shoes and call up Peggy and see what she thinks about the whole thing, when he's stopped short by the sight in front of his door. Bucky's there with his hair slicked back and one sleeve pinned up on a very well-fitting jacket holding a bouquet of wildflowers in hand looking beautiful and nervous and charming and Steve's chest hurts from the way he's breathing and he's worried his BPD lungs can't take the strain and he'll have to dig out his inhaler.

 

There might even be something like tears stinging his eyes when Bucky walks up to him and he takes the bouquet from him carefully. All his fears and worries fly from his mind at the sight of Bucky's bashful little lopsided smile when he says,

 

“A little birdy told me where you live.” He hesitates briefly before adding, “I hope that's okay?”

 

And Steve has to laugh because that's _more_ than okay.

 

Bucky was silent because he wanted to surprise him, and Steve feels like an idiot for worrying, but that's okay too.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough*more shadowing from my life*cough*
> 
> I wrote Bucky redeeming himself here at the end, but unfortunately I can't say the same thing happened for me. I was cancelled on yesterday by the first person I was going to meet "in person" from acebook. It really bummed me out guys. But I hope my experience doesn't deter anyone from giving the ace sites a try, because I'm definitely gonna keep talking to people on there and won't let this experience deter me! 
> 
> Btw - I'm writing Bucky as biromantic demisexual (I hope that's come across).
> 
> I wish you all the best! And come shout at me about Bucky and Steve @violetmusicalrain on tumblr! ^.^

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone has anything they want to see for these two, or any prompts to take place in this 'verse, please drop them off in the comments and I'll see what I can do!


End file.
